When sandwich folks talk about po’ boys, they often say it’s all about the bread. “The first thing people ask is, ‘What kind of bread are you using?’” says Cam McNair, who, along with Justin Snyder, owns New Orleans Po Boy Shop at 1205 19th Street, Northwest, set to open any day now. New Orleans food critic, author, and radio host Tom Fitzmorris agrees that bread is of the utmost importance when judging a po’ boy.* The traditional bread is French rolls baked by the NOLA-based German bakery Leidenheimer Baking Company. “New Orleans French bread, historically, was baked by Germans,” says Fitzmorris. French bread baked by the French is far denser and crunchier, not “cavernous” like the stuff New Orleans residents have come to know.
McNair considered Leidenheimer bread but it would have arrived already baked, then shipped frozen. For something fresher, he opted to buy his bread half-baked from Gambino’s Bakery in New Orleans suburb Metairie, best known for its king cakes. He’ll finish the baking process in-house. According to Fitzmorris, frozen bread works fine on a po’ boy, provided sandwich makers wet their hands and run them over the bread before baking. Still, he says McNair’s choice to go with Gambino’s is an interesting one, and thinks it could work well.
Not afraid to bring the funk: Ripple finds a new use for its collection of cheeses. Photograph by Elizabeth Parker.
"What should Ripple do with all that cheese they have?" you've probably never wondered. But the owner, Roger Marmet, has. And here's what he came up with: On June 5, the Cleveland Park restaurant will debut a new grilled cheese bar. Guests in the bar area can either choose their own ingredients--there's a list of 15 fairly amazing cheeses, plus spreads like chutney and black-eyed-pea hummus and toppings that include roasted red peppers and caramelized onions--or opt for one of the sandwiches on the menu.
Take the Stinky Pete, for instance, a $9 combo of Époisses cheese, asparagus, and anchovy. "There is no Pete," says Marmet. "It just sounded funny." Other silly sandwich names include the Krusty Krab, an homage to Spongebob SquarePants's place of employ that features jumbo lump crab imperial and béchamel; and the "Swiss bank account," with hand-sliced prosciutto, Challerhocker, and truffles.
By Anna Spiegel
Jamie Stachowski builds a sandwich while son Josef looks on; the very hearty turkey club. Photographs by Erik Uecke.
"Ask your butcher . . ." How many times have you seen that in a recipe and thought, "What butcher?"
Well now you have one.
